By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: The way Pakistan had addressed the COVID-19 challenge was really commendable and the country was a role model in this context, said British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner, in a meeting with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz here on Monday.
Turner said effective communication and care were the real weapons in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Shibli Faraz said Pakistan’s government, from day one, had maintained a balanced approach and exercised due care for both lives and livelihood of people.
He said the strategy of smart lockdown had proved very effective in coping with the Covid-19 challenge.
“We have also adopted an effective communication strategy, continuously messaged public, kept them engaged and attentive to deal with the changing situation,” he said, adding these efforts would be continued.
The minister said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was the nerve center to synergize and articulate national efforts against COVID-19 and implement the decisions based on authentic data and information.
He added that Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and NCOC were working in close coordination as far as dissemination of information was concerned.
Regarding forthcoming Eid-ul-Azha, he said SOPs would be followed. Slaughtering of sacrificial animals would be carried out in slaughter houses. Likewise arrangements for sale of sacrificial animals would be made in suburban areas, the minister maintained.
Senator Shibli Faraz said Pakistan highly valued its relations with the UK, which were based on historical linkages and shared perceptions on a broad range of regional and international issues.
The minister offered his deepest condolences over loss of precious lives in the UK due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Government and people of Pakistan, he said, stand in solidarity with the UK. “We commend the efforts of the UK government and resolve of its people in the fight against the deadly virus,” he added.
The only way to fight the pandemic was to work together, the minister said.
The British High Commissioner said, “we are friends and we stand together in fighting the COVID-19 challenge”.
